The Meeting Place

Had tea with a good friend recently and we discussed general things amongst which the topic of definitive moments came to life. We all face huge questions in our lives which we cannot evade, for example: about staying or leaving, about friends and partners, about work and life - generally about all things which are not constant and not certain. These things muddle you up and they create raging commotions within - but it is life's natural disposition to have things change constantly.

This concept is consistent with life - and of life's journey, or as my blog's name indicate, Odyssey. Knowing who and what we are, gives us foundational strength to assist in steering our ship steadily in this testing voyage amidst turbulent seas.

Praise be to The Almighty, for as a Muslim, being Muslims makes that so much easier as our compass and astrolabe have been set right from the outset. As man, we can choose to be guided by such guidance or if we so choose, to figure the way out ourselves - but logically, the choice must be obvious. Admittedly, these may not be direct answers to our questions, but in the least, they provide guidance and framework within which we can begin to attempt to resolve our issues.

But another point is as obvious: that precisely due to such uncertainties in our lives, it brings us closer to Him - and sometimes due to not having much choice either way - to put more Faith in Him. SubhanAllah! Either way, in this circle of Divine Creation, we are always made to return to Him, either consciously or otherwise.

Whilst waiting for class to commence tonight, I was reading the poems of one of my beloved author: the late Martin Lings, or Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din as he is known in Muslim circles, who have left this world in late 2005. He was the preferred student of CS Lewis (author of "The Complete Chronicles of Narnia", "The Weight of Glory", "The Abolition of Man", "The Great Divorce", "The Screwtape Letters" to name a few) whilst reading English at Oxford and later became Lewis' close friend.

I have been meaning to share the immense joy that this great man has given me through his beautiful writings and such impeccable intellect - and would like to share his poem entitled: “The Meeting Place”. The reknown Hamza Yusuf had the opportunity to share the same podium with Martin Lings on several occasions, and MasyaAllah! - how it must have been to have these 2 great man sharing the same stage. On one occassion when Martin Lings was invited to speak about Shakespeare, Hamza Yusuf was so astounded by that speech that all he could do then was to recite this poem "The Meeting Place".

In order to do justice, I had to put the whole of what Hamza Yusuf said: "The secret of great literature is excellence in form and content. When we read great works, we feel humbled and enhanced at the same time. All great and imaginative literature is poetry in essence but metered language has a special power over our souls as thousands of years of verse in countless tongues prove. In his “Collected Poems”, Martin Lings humbles us with his form but more importantly he enhances us with his content. His poems are not for the dilettante but demand careful reading and re-reading before they begin to reveal something of their majesty and power.

As far as I can tell, "The Meeting Place" is as good as poetry gets. Stunning is the only word for it. That it is not anthologized in books of modern poetry is a crime against the craft and an affront to the poet.

Since discovering it, I have read it on many occasions alone and to friends in my home and over the phone always with the same result:- profound silence. Perhaps the reason it is not found in any anthologies is that only a Donne or Milton could produce such a piece in English and no one would believe a man born in the twentieth century could have written it. Lesser poems would pale at its side and it would embarrass what passes for poetry these days. But what about "The Muse" and "The Stars" and "Requiem"; they are all worth our time. Martin Lings has indeed made "for men some deep enduring utterance."

Herein is an extract of this beautiful poem by Martin Lings:

O blessed meeting place of land and sea,
Of earth and water, rock and ocean wave,
What is thy secret, that we find in thee,
From the first hour, the home that exiles crave?
Intimate art thou, yet mysterious,
And though thy welcome unreserved we have,
We must to thee confirm, not thou to us.
…
Many fly out, each in its orbit wheeling.
Their cries that on the rocks reverberate,
Unearthly strange, thy secret half revealing,
Proclaim to us that shores are ultimate,
That sea cliffs are the edge of the unknown.
But we, not they, thy secret bear innate
Within our hearts in fullness, we alone.

For man's first nature is a meeting place
Where two worlds intermingle, yet are not joined:
Towards the Infinte is turned his face,
And winged ones from the soul fly out beyond,
Nor come they back save yet again to go,
Drawn by the inward Deep. The Heaven respond:
Tides of the Spirit flow and ebb and flow.

The profoundness of his message in so little words truly moves me. And to my dear birds who gather every "Tuesdays with The Hoopoe", this poem summarises indeed our humble journey.